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4A Daily News – Saturday, May 11, 2013 Opinion Salmon DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U NTY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes letters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submitted will be considered for publication. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. 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How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 Editor: Everybody seems to be upset over the situation with the salmon population in the Sacramento River. All sorts of special interest groups, from environmentalists, to fishing association members, to commercial fishermen, to the Department of Fish and (?) have put their two cents worth into the pot. I also am upset over the situation with the salmon population in the Sacramento River. Fifty years ago there was a gravel bar on the west side of the river across from Blackberry Island. When the salmon were running that was bar was alive with fish. Not so anymore. There are two things I believe that have contributed to the decline in the salmon population, and a lesson pointing to the solution in the Daily News. those two things are the improved fishing techniques of commercial fishermen in the open sea, and the human intervention in the ecology of the Sacramento River. I don't know what can be done about commercial fishing in the ocean. The problem is that the fishermen have the capacity now to take whole schools of fish at one catch. Because of the life cycle of the salmon species, this can be disastrous. Salmon come into fresh water to spawn, usually in the same stream they hatched in. After the eggs hatch, the parr, as they are called, live in those waters for six months to three years when they begin the undergo physical changes. These, now called smolt, move into the brackish waters of the bay where their bodies adapt to accommodate life in salter water. They then go to sea where they stay for one to five years before coming back to the waters they were born into breed and start the cycle over again. After laying the eggs in a gravel bed, or fertilizing them the salmon then die. During this cycle, the salmon live and feed in schools. If a commercial net takes an entire school then the fish that should return to the Sacramento River and their particular tributaries is lost and that particular streams life cycle is at least partially interrupted. One Livingstone Stone, a recognized fish culturist and founder of the American Fisheries Soci- into the river today they'd probaety, as well as the author of bly be hanged. So what has happened with "Domesticated Trout" planted eastern fish species in San Fran- this invasive species called striped cisco bay in the 1870s. He is bass? They have thrived in the delta, where they feed widely known as the on the delta smelt and "Father of fish culture on Your also the salmon smolt the Pacific coast" and when they are adaptwas enshrined into the ing to salt water National Fish Culture preparing to go to sea. Hall of Fame in 1989. In the news today Quite frankly, he was an abomination on mother was a story about the island night nature's domain here in the Sacra- lizard, which is going to be removed from the endangered mento River. In 1873 he headed west from species list. What happened was Boston on a railroad car fitted out they removed the cats and pigs, to transport live fish with black which man had imported to these bass, catfish, yellow perch, horn- small islands, and the lizards pouts, glass eyed pike, eels, tau- rebounded A real success story. What does that tell me? It says tog, striped bass, perch, lobsters, oysters and shad. Fortunately his if we remove the striped bass, train wrecked and he lost all his which were planted here, from the specimens, but that year he made delta environment we will have another trip was successful in at removed one of the threats to the least introducing striped bass into success of salmon in California. I know a lot of fishermen who San Francisco Bay. He made further incursions in would rather fish for stripers than Mother Natures domain through- salmon. You make up your mind. What out the eighteen seventies. He did, to his credit, install fish hatcheries do you want, stripers or salmon? on the Sacramento River, but to Shortly you won't have both. This tell the truth if anyone tried to river isn't big enough for both. Fred Boest, Red Bluff introduce a non-native species Turn Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Dan Logue, 1550 Humboldt Road, Ste. 4, Chico, CA 95928, 530-895-4217 STATE SENATOR — Jim Nielsen, 2635 Forest Ave., Ste. 110, Chico, CA 95928, (530) 879-7424, senator.nielsen@senate.ca.gov GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 5583160; E-mail: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Doug LaMalfa 506 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, 202-2253076. U.S. SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 3930710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Commentary Nut street and other signs Chip Thompson, the Perry White of the local Daily Planet said recently that people will judge our town less by the headlines in the newspaper, the letters to the editor, the local commentators or the news on the front page, but by how we present ourselves to visitors and those interested in moving here. I had a personal experience of what he was talking about recently. The other day I was driving west on Walnut Street and I saw a TRAX bus heading toward me on the other side of the road; I was sure it was the other side of the road in spite of the fact that the dividing line is virtually invisible in inclement weather. The bus had a well lit sign above the windshield that stated "…nut Street." The next thing I knew I was noticing a variety of negative things. That sign made me look around, and I noticed a severely broken fence on the south side of the Walnut Street, the poorly painted traffic lines, the makeshift sand bag sign, gang graffiti, the fading directory sign to county departments, and the car door rattling paving. I normally take some of these things for granted, but that one bus sign sent me on a negativity tour. One wonders what determines visitors' perceptions of our town. What will they see to color their vision? On that same trip I drove by the Red Bluff Union Elementary School District office; the building sits across from the airport and down from two empty buildings. It would be easy to assume it is empty as well, except for the few cars in the parking lot surrounding the building. I say that because the signage on the district office is extremely weather worn and forlorn looking. Perhaps the appearance of the building is reflective of something inside, or maybe it had something to do with the trouble the district had finding a replacement for a recently resigned school board member. When it comes to signs, I have a pet peeve. At the corner of Breckenridge and Monroe is a very elegant stone sign, perhaps more fitting for a monument in a cemetery or an historical site; the sign advertizes a lawyer couple's practice in a house on that corner. The sign had to have been very expensive and hard to move or modify, and it may hearken back to those "glorious days of yesteryear" when formality and decorum was in bloom. Nevertheless, tacked onto that sign is a battered sign that says "-o-ed to 541 Jefferson Street". That move must have happened a few years ago given the condition of the added sign, and anyone needing the services of those attorneys most likely could find their new address in a phone book, or from their bail bondsman. I hope that battered sign is not a reflection of professional attention to detail. My friend Sam pointed out to me that if you drive by their sort of new office you will see a laundry list sign that is a big contrast to the mausoleum like sign on Breckenridge; it basically lists most legal problems you might encounter, but it reminds Sam of those busy signs in a train terminals or one of those cartoons with a post at a crossroads with an impossible list of destinations pointing in all emphasis may change with the directions. I have mentioned before my new visitors' center on Anteconcern about what greets the lope Boulevard. Perhaps someone will place some traveler at the south signs along I-5 indicatentrance to town. My ing drivers need to go concern has been one more entrance increased, however, north to get to the new by the growth of a visitors' center; those seeming junk yard on following those signs the East Side of I-5 as will have view of the you approach town temporary encampfrom the south; it ments under the overappears to be a collecpasses, but at least the tion of well used paving is fine. buses, large equipI'm not sure how ment, and who knows Joe bypassing the first off what else; it almost ramp will sit with looks like a SWAT Wendy's, Jack in the team training venue. Box, AM/PM, and the When Lady Bird other businesses that Johnson was first lady she insisted on landscaping to hope for travelers on the south hide such eyesores, but those end of town, but at least that viswere the good old days. These itor's center will be more weldays that eyesore proclaims a coming. I did notice that Main Street message about Red Bluff, the is perking up. The flowers are next off ramp heading north. Of course little has changed well tended; window displays by the time you get to that south are sprightly, and both the new entrance--the bareness, poor and established stores are invitpaving, sparse signage, and so ing. That's a good sign. I recall how we were almost on. There is not even the obligatory "Red Bluff, A Great Place coerced out of our car to sample to Live" sign or display. After the local water by Roy Snow, navigating the poorly marked the operator of the Texaco stalanes and crossing the relatively tion on Main Street, forty years smooth bridge, there is the ago when we were thinking of makeshift used vehicle lot and moving here. His enthusiasm person with a trailer selling fair- for our community was contaly low quality merchandise and gious; he was right about Red pipes along with other things; I Bluff, and we not only moved don't think he is selling plumb- here but we stayed. That was the ing supplies, and I guess if you kind of sign our editor was talkare a felon caught with one of ing about. those pipes you might be in trouble. Joe Harrop is a retired You may recall that the educator with more than 30 Chamber of Commerce study on improving tourism empha- years of service to the North sized the importance of the State. He can be reached at southern entrance to town. That DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net. Harrop